Gujarat riots case: Nalin Bhatt to appear before SIT today

After Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the state's former BJP General Secretary Nalin Bhatt has also been summoned for questioning by the Supreme Court-appointed SIT in connection with the 2002 riots.

After Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the state's former BJP General Secretary Nalin Bhatt has also been summoned for questioning by the Supreme Court-appointed SIT in connection with the 2002 riots.

"I have been asked to appear before SIT tomorrow as I was the general secretary of BJP during the 2002 riots," Bhatt said on Friday.

A day after the Special Investigating Team (SIT) said it has summoned Modi to appear before it on March 21 for questioning in the communal violence at Gulburg society, opposition Congress and the ruling BJP also traded charges.

The Congress stepped up its demand for 60-year-old Modi's resignation saying he should do so on "moral grounds" following SIT summons.

"Modi has no right to be the chief minister once the SIT has summoned him. He should resign on moral grounds," Congress state in-charge P Sudhakar Reddy said.

But the BJP rejected the demand with a senior leader and state government spokesman Jaynarayan Vyas saying the Congress was "day-dreaming."

"Congress demands are like castles in the air. These are 'mungerilal ke hasin sapne' (day dreaming). They should first do introspection with regard to the incidents of 1984 (anti-Sikh riots) and 1969 (Gujarat communal riots)," Vyas said.

"They should first see what their Chief Ministers haddone when Sikhs were being killed (in 1984). At least Congress has no moral right to speak on the issue," he added.

The summons followed a complaint by Zakia, whose husband Ehsan Jaffrey, a former Congress MP was among the 70 persons killed during the 2002 riots in Gulburg society.

In her complaint she had named 63 persons including Modi and Bhatt alleging they were responsible for riots in Gujarat. Bhatt has already been questioned by the Nanavati Commission probing the post-Godhra riots.